Laptop screen changes contrast drastically when switching from a dark to light application

I have a ThinkPad W530 running Windows 8.

When I switch from any darker application to any lighter application the contrast is off and takes a second or two to adjust back.

I can very clearly notice it adjust after alt-tabbing to one or the other.

Any ideas of what could cause this? My first thought is a laptop issue, but it could be something Windows 8 is doing to allow better viewing (after it adjusts it looks really good, the adjusting is just slow)

I had the same problem on my Lenovo X220. I solved it by disabling "Adaptive Contrast Enhancement" in the Intel Graphics Control Panel.

To get there:

1. Right-click on the desktop > Graphics Properties
2. Confirm that you are in the Control Panel, not the "Wizard"
3. Switch to Advanced Mode in the upper-left (instead of Basic)
4. Click Media > Image Enhancement
5. Un-check Adaptive Contrast Enhancement
6. Apply/OK

The latest UI of the Intel control panel is a bit different and the Adaptive Contrast Enhancement changed to display power saving technology.

Here is what you have to do:

right click on desktop > click on Graphic Properties > click on Power button > then on top left corner where it says Power click on the arrow that shows down > choose on Battery > finally disable the display power saving technology > save

hope this helps as the comments here are outdated

The solution hasn't changed much, but I figured I'd provide an update for Windows 10, as this has been very helpful for me in 2015. (I'm using an ASUS TP300LA laptop with a Core i5-4210U.)

The issue occurs and is most noticeable when you go from a dark window to a light window. The contrast gets blown out, and the display slowly adjusts the backlight to normalize the contrast. I have a dark wallpaper in Windows 10, so an example of this happens whenever I'm on the desktop and open Chrome or the Google homepage, which is mostly white.

First thing I checked was the Windows Advanced Power Options to make sure the adaptive brightness feature was off.

Right-click the Start button > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options > Balanced (or whichever plan you are using) - Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings > Display > Enable adaptive brightness > "Off" > Apply > OK

Next thing to check would be the Intel Graphics Properties. The interface has changed a bit since the last answer was posted here, so the layout of your control panel might be slightly different depending on the version. The main thing to look for is the "Power" options.

Right-click the desktop (or click the Intel Graphics system tray icon) > Graphics Properties > Power > On Battery > Display Power Saving Technology > Disable > Apply

Hopefully that helps!

Its an Intel display driver issue, just go to options and turn it off:

1. Ensure all drivers are up to date
2. Right click on Desktop and select "Graphic Properties"
3. Select Power
4. Select Power Feature
5. In Graphics Power Plan Settings, change drop down menu to "On Battery"
6. Uncheck "Display Power Saving Technology"
7. Press "OK"